No Donut for Me

No Donut for Me--

It had been a very dangerous drive to the donut shop that particular Sunday morning.  I left home an hour before church so I could purchase dozens of fresh, hot donuts for those people who needed that sugar lift on a cold winter morning.

It snowed the night before.  The interstate had icy patches.  Most people were driving in the right lane only.  I remember talking to myself as I drove the nearly twenty miles to the donut shop.  I questioned my sanity.  But,  donuts between services had been a hit, and there was no way I was going to have disappointed folks searching everywhere for those warm, melt-in-your-mouth circles of pure sugar.  Some things you simply have to do.

The big red sign was on when I drove slowly into the parking lot.  That meant the donuts would be hot.    And because I arrived while the sign was on, I would be given a free one. I hurried through the door making sure the sign remained on until I was in line.  There were a couple of customers in front of me.  They each received their free one.  Then it was my turn.

I gave the young woman my large order.  She turned away to begin filling it.  When she walked back to the counter, I asked for my free one.  She told me I had not been there before the sign was turned off.  I was shocked.  Of course I had been there.  I told her that yes, I had been in line right behind the person ahead of me, and she got one.  She looked at me with a bit of disgust and refused to give me my donut.

What should be one's reaction when one is denied such a treasure after driving on treacherous roads to secure the prize for others?  I stood there watching her thinking she might reconsider and offer that delicate dough to me, too.  But, she did not do that.  Instead she went to work doing whatever people in those jobs do.  If stares could get one's attention, she would have turned around to look at me.  Stares don't work sometimes.

After paying for the rather large order, I  left the store thinking about how unfairly I had been treated.   I was just a bit angry.  Among other thoughts racing through my head was one about contacting the manager and recounting the sad story to him or her.  But, that seemed a bit too much work for one donut.  Or maybe I could grab one and run.  That might make the Monday newspaper.  "Woman from local church steals donut and races out of parking lot."  Surely there was a way to right this wrong without breaking the law.

Driving back with my boxes of prizes, a thought appeared in my mind.  Maybe she was having a very bad day, and I arrived at the perfect time for her to exercise her power over a situation.  She had control over whether or not I would receive that donut, and she decided I wouldn't get it.  Her action meant I had a choice.  Would I insist on that donut?  Make a scene because she refused?  Say something nasty?

As you probably know by now, I believe that choices are placed in our path many times everyday.  So, in the car on the way back to church, I broke out in laughter.  It filled the car.  Tears rolled down my face as I thought about how that would have looked to another customer who might have been next in line.  An argument over one hot donut?

There was a way to avoid that challenging situation.  I would need to leave my house ten minutes earlier so that I was seen in line before that sign was turned off. That is what I did.  That extra ten minutes was a sacrifice I was willing to pay.   Prayer became my companion as I made future trips for those warm goodies.  Prayers that someone else would greet me with a warm donut wrapped in a paper napkin.

As I write this, I am chuckling.  Life gives us so many opportunities for growth.  We will not always be treated fairly.  But we can decide to treat others well no matter what the situation.  Even if they refuse to give us the donut that is rightfully ours.